Blessings while you wait

I’m waiting for my friend Kelley to arrive. Since she isn’t due for a little bit, I decided to run a few errands: seamstress, pharmacy, and utilities. Check, check, and check!

Checking things off my to-do list makes me smile! Those all went so smoothly, I decided to reward myself with a little stoll through the plant section at the local big box store. I didn’t think I had time to do more than that, but…the temptation overcame my planning and I picked out some beautiful and quite lovely-scented petunias. Seeing my slow pace, one of the plant stocker ladies asked if I needed assistance, and when I declined, she mentioned that she had just marked down some pansies at the front.

Well. Who am I to refuse such a gift? I know the pansies are cool weather annuals and I know they won’t stand up long to the heat that’s coming, but they’re pretty “for now” and only $3 each! That means a pretty welcome for my guest, a cheerier view from my kitchen window, plenty of inspiration for a future art project, and all of that for a bargain price.

Earlier today I had to apologize for a bad attitude about several issues I am waiting for God–and people!–to resolve. I hate to wait! What I sometimes forget to do while I wait is look for the beauty, for the blessings, and for the lessons. Perhaps that is why my heavenly Father is making me practice waiting today. Fortunately, He is gracious and so is my husband. They both understood my frustration and helped me look beyond it to the many, many blessings of this day while I am waiting for those answers, His provisions, and my sweet friend.

What blessings can you see while you wait?

Grace and Peace!

Strength of dependence

I’ve set regular reminders on my phone calendar to pray for various people and situations. The frequency of the prayers requests vary for many of them. Some are weekly, others monthly or seasonal, but I also have a few that are daily requests. Why would I need a reminder to do something already I do every single day? Because it’s too important to leave even the possibility that I might forget or fail to set aside time for them in the rush of other tasks.

As I was talking to God about one of those daily requests the other day, I prayed for strength of body, strength of mind, strength of character, strength of faith, and strength of dependence upon God.

Even as I prayed it, my mind took a quick halt as I considered the implications of that request: strength of dependence. That’s an odd phrase. Was that what “I” meant to ask for or was it what I was meant to ask for?

It works both ways some days. As I pray, I ask God to guide my prayers, to keep them in alignment with both His will and His Word. My prayers aren’t just left up to me. I don’t know what He knows. As one who intercedes, I have a responsibility to take that into account. He knows I understand that and, sometimes, He slips in things that I would never have thought to ask on my own.

Our modern culture takes great delight in strength and casts aspersions uopon being dependent. As an independent-minded individual myself, I rarely exult in being dependent for anything at any time on anyone…at least anyone except for God. I am wholly aware of my dependence on Him…and I am aware that my dependence on Him is also one of my deepest strengths.

That’s what I want for those I love: the strength to choose to be dependent on God and the strength of faith that comes as they watch Him turn that dependence into something solid enough to move mountains.

Well. No matter Whose (I know, God.) idea it was, it was exactly what I was supposed to pray for these young men…and for me…and for you.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Jeremiah 29:12

Grace and Peace!

Family

“”Family is family, whether it’s the one you start out with, the one you end up with, or the family you gain along the way.”

–unknown

I come from a large biological family. My father was 1 of 9 and my mother, 1 of 10. It is a powerful thing to know the love of that many people who share bloodlines and as many differences as they do commonalities. The same can be said of the family I married into so many years ago, and the ever-growing one of those who have the distinction of being my chosen family.

This week has been a tumultuous one on the chosen family front with praises for a miraculous new life to celebrate, prayers for those dealing with loss, several unexpected changes, long phone calls, successful medical procedures, and news of healing that still feels too long in coming.

This mix of joy and pain experienced simultaneously is the stuff of life and it always reminds me of a quote by Angie Smith as she wrote, “I can distinctly remember the way grief and joy danced together, as if they had a right to.”

Today is a special day for me as I celebrate the birth dates of my incredible husband, my wonderful sister, 2 precious friends, and 3 other small souls whose lives added love, comfort, and laughter to my own for so long. I never cease to be amazed at the graces afforded to me by those with whom God has blessed me.

I will be taking some time off from blogging to celebrate, minister to, host and love on some of those who have been gifted to me. Who knows what stories, blessings, and laughter may come of it?

See you shortly!

Grace and Peace!

Up close and personal

Despite the fact that I needed to cover up some new and fragile vegetation to protect it from the below-freezing overnight temperatures, this afternoon’s sunshine did more than just coax me outside. It made me want to start some Springtime cleanup. I grabbed my handy little leaf blower and decided to renew my acquaintance with the sidewalk and patio space just outside the back door.

I found more than a few plump worms along the way as I shifted the fallen leaf detritus from sidewalk to the grassy patch underneath my big Jane magnolia. I noticed how the fallen petals were turning brown to match the live oak leaves that the wind had transferred from front to back yard and I sorely missed the previously pink and white carpet from just a few days ago. I had been enjoying it by going no further than the edge of the backdoor steps for several days.

Suddenly, I caught sight of a small, bright purple violet at the edge of the walkway…which then drew my eyes to the HUNDREDS that bloomed quite happily amidst the fading pink and white petals I had just lamented. The violets weren’t blooming the the last time I looked and they’re so small as to render them invisible from a distance, so I mistakenly decided that there was nothing else to see.

I couldn’t have been more wrong, but as God’s handiwork so often does, these beautiful, tiny works of art almost immediately brought Scripture to mind:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.“

Jeremiah 29:13

Be it God’s handiwork or God Himself, seeking is an important part of finding. I’ve been looking all over for some sign of ground-blooming beauty on this place that was big enough to grab my attention from a distance. We always see better when we get close up and personal.

What are you looking for today? God is waiting and He’s not hiding, but sometimes we keep our distance and we miss His perfect beauty and find it easy to ignore His Presence.

Let’s not do that anymore.

Grace and Peace–and Happy Tuesday!

Without excuse

According to my calendar, Spring is still officially 10 days away, but as the sun comes out after yesterday’s rain, it looks like Spring to me.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Romans 1:20

Grace and Peace!

And it was good

We traveled to visit family this past weekend, to celebrate my father’s birthday, and get a major chore out of the way. Taxes and celebrations don’t usually go together, but this time they did. Having the paperwork completed meant I could relax and move on to other things…like having a whole day to spend with my parents and hear them laugh and tell stories…and it was good.

Riding home Sunday morning, I learned that my husband had arranged to take Monday as a vacation day. It was unexpected and I was delighted…and made absolutely NO plans at all. We would rest, do small chores, and rest some more…ok, I made some plans…and they were good.

I woke up yesterday morning and realized that the day had finally arrived when I could start a Bible project I’ve been wanting to do again. I had kept it as a treat for when I finished with the paperwork. With all of that behind me for another year, Genesis awaited. I focused on Chapter 1, noting again all the details of creation. They get me every single time.

“God said…and it was…and it was good.”

That’s enough for a whole faith series right there! Creation details aside, I am encouraged by the fact that Scripture says, “it was good” so many times right out of the gate. It does NOT say, “it was perfect.” I need that distinction as I create things even now, be they art projects, delicious meals, time set aside for family and friends, planning my own new garden, doing chores, or revising the budget. I need the reminder that “good” is a worthy goal when I (WAY too often) set my sights on the “perfect” and miss out on practicing the delights of the “good.”

Voltaire supposedly said, “Perfection is the enemy of good.”

Winston Churchill added, “Perfection is the enemy of progress.”

I think they were both probably right, but then Salvador Dali capped it all by saying, “Have no fear of perfection–you’ll never reach it.” Ha!!

All things considered,though, the past few days came pretty close…and it was good.

Grace and Peace!